City Council and Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire Thank you for participating in the San Antonio Currents City

Council and Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire. Your answers will appear in our online voter guide and potentially in print in our April 17 issue. You may answer as much of the top biographical fields as youd like to. If youd rather not answer, put no answer. Be aware may fill in those blanks using publicly available election documents. You must answer 10 of the following 15 questions. For those questions you choose not to answer please write No Answer. You may also address additional issues after question 15. Please return via email to cenlow@sacurrent.com. We can also accept faxed versions at 210-227-7733. DEADLINE IS APRIL 9, 6 p.m. Name as it will appear on ballot: Current employment (if retired, please describe your previous career): Military Reserve Officer, United States Navy Small Business Owner (Certified Veteran & Minority-owned) 50-word bio: I enlisted in the military after 9/11 and was later commissioned as a military reserve officer. As an entreprenuer and family man, I work to build a strong economy and stronger neighborhoods. I have the most community and volunteer experience of any candidate in the race. 50 word reason for becoming a candidate in this election: I am running to make our streets the safest in the country, invest in neighborhoods with better streets, sidewalks, and parks, and create good jobs. Im leading the fight to crack down on graffiti, stop the rate hikes, and lower speeds on residential streets to protect children, families, and cyclists. 1) Could the Citys recent ethics reforms be better enforced, especially in terms of conflicts of interest? Absolutely. The appointment of an independent ethics auditor is a sound concept. I believe in and am committed to the highest ethical standards. We have some of the strongest ethics rules in the country in terms of limits and disclosure requirements. In order to be truly effective and earn the faith and confidence of the taxpayers we work for, we must avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Some reforms can be better accomplished with disclosure rather than regulation, but all options should be on the table. 2) Whats your opinion on encouraging economic development and civic programming via public/private partnerships, especially where public land, such as Hemisfair Park, is concerned? I support public/private partnerships on public land under certain, limited circumstances. A primary consideration should be: does it enhance the public space while preserving its character and purpose? Public/private partnerships should not supplant public investment in our public spaces. Rather, these

partnerships should augment our vision and developmental goals by speeding the process of development. 3) Should the city establish an independent police monitor to better oversee the San Antonio Police Department? Why or why not? No. SAPD leadershipand, therefore, oversightis the duty of the City Manager and City Council. If there are deficiencies or inadequacies, we should address them as a council in a way that keeps the public safety at the forefront. Keeping in mind that we have been under tremendous financial stress during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, SAPD has managed to do more with less. Weve added 300 new police officersincluding moving more than a dozen officers who were previously behind a desk to neighborhood narcotics enforcement. DWI arrests are up, DWI fatalities are down, and we are making serious efforts to reduce graffiti and violent crime. I support redoubling our efforts across the board to reduce crime. 4) Do you support the way the health department currently regulates food trucks? If not, how could the regulations be changed to better serve San Antonians? Yes, I support our regulation but acknowledge that we need to take new actions to encourage and promote this evolving industry. 5) How can the City support sustainable transportation options? The City is making a significant investment in street cars in the downtown area, and the new Primo bus service from the Medical Center to downtown is a model that we may replicate citywide. As we move forward, encouraging rideshare and exploring light rail options should be on the table for discussion. 6) What value do you think the arts bring to San Antonio? In what ways can the City support local arts organizations and individual artists? The arts have been an important part of our culture and heritage since our founding. Each year the City makes a significant investment in promoting the arts. The City should continue to evaluate and explore new ways to promote and encourage the arts citywide. I support competitive grants and new programs to engage the existing arts community to mentor the next generation of artists. I will also support cooperative agreements with our arts community and universities to bring in visiting exhibits to enrich the community as a whole. 7) Is it important for the City to strengthen its non-discrimination ordinances to protect LGBT citizens? Why or why not? Yes. San Antonio should be on the leading edge of equal rights. Throughout our history we have dealt with various forms of discrimination. I believe that any discrimination is wrong.

8) Is Animal Care Services doing enough to increase its live-release rate? Is ACS' public-private partnership model is working? If not, what else could be done? ACS is not operating at the optimal level. Admittedly, I have frustrations with their overall operations, but believe that over the next year we will conquer the deficiencies in ACS and take positive, corrective actions as a Council. 9) What would you do to address the high vacancy rate in downtown buildings? We are fortunate that the concept of downtown development and investment is on the rise and shows no sign of fading. Our inner core is progressing and that is very positive news. I support aggressively promoting our entire inner-loop area for economic development. The addition of street cars will help enhance the appeal. 10) Is the Citys million-dollar incentive to create a downtown grocery store appropriate? Why or why not? Is there a better way to bring a grocery store downtown? Yes, it is appropriate. We cannot trust the fulfillment of our visions for San Antonio citywide to happenstance. If we believe in fulfilling these visions we must be willing to facilitate it through investment. The optimal scenario is for a large grocer to see the vision and potential and come on their own. The realistic scenario is to entice them, as we entice businesses to come to other parts of San Antonio. A downtown grocer is critical to fulfilling our vision of a vibrant, walkable, downtown community. This will help address downtown vacancy issues and encourage a downtown that is thriving, not just surviving. 11) How can San Antonio balance economic development with historic preservation? The two must work hand-in-hand. Our rich history and culture is what makes San Antonio unique, special, and a place people want to visit, relocate, and invest in. We should take guidance and learn lessons from how other cities have balanced the two. Preserving facades, mandating landmark and historical commemorations, and encouraging the further preservation of iconic landscapes will provide a powerful balance. 12) Do you support union organizers' push for a Tip Integrity Act for the downtown hotel and restaurant industry? Yes. Our hotel and restaurant workers are the lifeblood of San Antonio. They deserve to be compensated appropriately. There is a tremendous cost of operation for our downtown businesses that comes with weathering the ebb and flow of convention and tourist activity. But, we must acknowledge that a family needs the predictability of knowing that their work is compensated in an amount equal to their effort. If a charge is represented to be for service, it should be allocated to service.

13) What is the Citys role in making consumer solar power affordable for residents as well as local businesses? I voted for the Nexolon deal that increases our solar production to an amount greater than the rest of Texas combined. Raising development standards to require solar power is an option, but could stifle growth. The City should pursue state and federal matching funds and grants that help fill this space. We should also investigate any models that have proven successful at encouraging solar expansion in a revenue neutral way. 14) Is there more the City could do to protect the Edwards Aquifer in terms of building restrictions, funding conservation easements or other means? Yes. Our cooperative efforts with SAWS and the EAA have had a positive impact. Additionally, the voters have supported the acquisition of recharge zone property in support of our efforts. I am amendable to new restrictions and easements. I also support pursuing new technologies and strategies to conserve more water and reduce usage so that we can reduce our load on the aquifer. Every gallon saved, is a gallon we do not have to pump from the aquifer. 15) What are the most critical components to implementing Pre-K 4 SA? Are there any other opportunities for the City to support education? The most critical components are outreach and execution. The Citys foundation to help fund higher education is a great example of how we are investing in educational opportunity. To progress as a city and attract the industries and jobs of tomorrow, I support creating mentorship programs and apprenticeship programs that help mobilize our youth to appropriate higher educational opportunities that will help attract green industries and technology companies.